Message in a Scroll
by HellFire2488
Summary: Shikamaru is hurt badly, but refuses to let Ino into the room to see him. At least, not under the current circumstances…
1. Chapter 1

Title: Message in a Scroll

Pairing: ShikaIno (established relationship)

Summary: Shikamaru is hurt badly, but refuses to let Ino into the room to see him. At least, not under the current circumstances…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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><p>Ino's breath hitched in her throat for what seemed like the hundredth time as she pushed herself to sprint down the streets of Konoha. All the while, her mind raced, conjuring all kinds of panic-induced images that only caused her adrenaline to increase with every passing second. The tears that filled her eyes were completely ignored as she pivoted around an elderly couple in the middle of the street, continuing her trek to the hospital with desperate strides. Her heart raced faster as she closed in on her destination, her pulse the only sound in her ears as she raced inside the building, not even stopping at the check-in station. The outraged cries from the medic at the front desk didn't even register to her as she turned down a hallway, frantically searching for any familiar chakra signature that would lead her to the room that Shikamaru was currently in.<p>

Coming to a stairwell, she stopped for the first time since leaving the Hokage's office and brought a hand to her chest, willing her breathing to steady itself. Her body began to shake as the adrenaline began to subside, and she had to grab onto the railing in front of her to keep herself on her feet. Heart rate slowing, she steadied herself and concentrated what little energy she had left on locating Choji's chakra signature. If she knew anything about her teammate and the bond the two boys shared, she was positive that he would be right by the shadow user's side. Relying on that knowledge, she walked up the stairs briskly until she reached the floor where she suspected Shikamaru might be held.

According to Lady Tsunade, Shikamaru was in critical condition and lucky to be alive. Ino shivered at the memory, remembering the cold, desolate feeling that washed over her at hearing those words. Naively, Shikamaru being hurt was not something she thought was possible. He was always so strong, so cunning, and so prepared for everything. How could it have happened? And more importantly to Ino, why did it have to happen when she wasn't around to protect him?

Placing her palm against her forehead, she willed the negative thoughts to disappear, instead focusing on sensing the presence of her comrade. As soon as she sensed him she immediately forced her legs to move, gaining speed with every step as her determination to see Shikamaru grew the closer she got to her destination. Turning the corner, she saw Choji walking out of a room at the end of the hallway and continued running until she was only a few feet away from the boy. Choji watched her as she approached with a look that radiated worry, but Ino ignored him with the same alacrity as she ignored the protests of her own aching body, instead focusing her attention on the door that she knew Shikamaru was being held in.

"Choji, is he awake?" Her voice was hoarse from running full speed to the hospital.

Waiting for his answer- though knowing the outcome would be the same regardless- she walked toward the room with the intention of opening the door.

"He is, but don't go in there, Ino." Choji warned, and wrapped a hand around her wrist to pull her away from where she stood.

Her confusion quickly turned to anger as she viciously pulled her arm out of his grasp and stared at him in disbelief.

"You just came out of there, and you said he's awake. Now I'm going in there to see him." She tried to keep her voice level, but her emotions were running wild, and all that seemed to register in her mind was that someone was trying to stand in the way of her seeing Shikamaru.

Choji cast his eyes down briefly in guilt and fidgeted with something in his pants pocket before looking at her again.

"Please, Ino." His eyes pleaded, begging her to understand. This wasn't easy for him to say, and though he was put in an almost impossible situation, it was not one that he was not in agreement with. "I was told that you shouldn't go in there."

Ino shook her head, her already messy ponytail almost coming undone, and gave the Akimichi a glare that he was sure carried every ounce of hurt and anger she possessed. This time, she refused to lower her voice.

"And why would you be told that?" She moved closer to him, causing Choji to take a fearful step backwards. "Who would even tell you something like that? If you can go in, then so can I. Shikamaru is hurt badly; he needs me! I'm going to see him, and I'd like to see somebody try to stop me!"

"That's enough, Ino." A voice called from inside the room, causing Ino to pause. Unconsciously taking a step away from her clearly frightened teammate, Ino walked toward the door again, this time making no move to enter.

"Shika…"

She breathed his name against the door, not caring whether the shadow nin heard her or not. Hearing his voice, and therefore having the confirmation that he was alive, was enough for her previous anger to vanish and be replaced by an overwhelming sense of relief. Words couldn't describe how it felt to hear his voice, especially when her worse fear was that she may never hear it again.

Unbeknownst to her, Shikamaru had heard her say his name, and it was enough for a genuine smile to briefly grace his lips. A chuckle escaped as he thought of the blonde. She was a complete enigma to him. How she could yell at Choji one minute and breathe his name in contentment the next amazed him, yet he knew in his heart he couldn't blame her. The situation was serious, and he knew he would be just as on-edge as Ino seemed, if not more so if she were in the same position. Just the thought of her injured drew Shikamaru from his thoughts, and the frown that had been on his face since Ino arrived was now back.

Back in the hallway, Ino let out one last sigh before lifting her forehead from the door and moving her hand toward the handle again. When Choji once again restrained her arm, Shikamaru chose that time to speak again.

"_I_ told him not to let you come in here."

"But, why…?" Ino wondered aloud to herself before her voice steeled. "Is this some kind of joke?" She whirled her head around to glare at Choji, who released her arm and shook his head with a conflicted look on his face.

"This isn't a joke. You shouldn't be here right now."

His tone was strong and serious, and that alone was the only reason Ino listened to his words. Out of all of the different emotions running through her, the feeling of rejection was among the most prominent. Why didn't he want her there? Did he truly not want to see her at all? Had she done something to make him angry?

Shikamaru's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as he spoke again, this time in a gentler tone.

"Go home, Ino."

Hearing those words, every insecurity that ran through Ino's mind about the situation came crashing down on her at once. Her breathing becoming shallow, she stepped away from the door and turned her back to both it and Choji as she attempted to compose herself. Normally she wouldn't be feeling as self-conscious as she was. Had she been at full strength, she would have yanked open the door, regardless of what Shikamaru said, and she would have stayed and taken care of him until the hospital forced her to leave, and even then she probably would have sneaked back in later in the night. But she wasn't at full strength; she was exhausted and had just suffered one of the biggest scares of her life, and hearing Shikamaru tell her that she shouldn't be there was enough to make her crumble.

Pushing back the urge to cry, she turned to glance at Choji and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Fine. If you don't want me here, I'm going." Was all she could manage to say before turning on her heel and walking away, conjuring her remaining energy to get her as far away as she could.

She was halfway to the staircase when she heard footsteps come up behind her.

"Ino." She stopped walking, but refused to turn around to face Choji, afraid that she would either breakdown or pass out. Luckily, he never asked her to. Hearing what sounded like him rustling through his pocket, he wordlessly held a scroll over her shoulder so it was eye level with her. After taking it from him, he allowed his hand to squeeze her shoulder before she heard his footsteps disappear back to the end of the hall.

She looked down at the official looking scroll and narrowed her eyes at it before stuffing it halfway into her weapon's pouch on her hip. She didn't know what it was about, and part of her didn't care to find out. All she wanted to do was to get out of that hospital and go home. She would worry about Shikamaru and the stupid scroll when she got there.

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><p>Well, that was chapter 1! This story will probably end up being 2-3 chapters long. Please review and let me know what you think!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Message in a Scroll

Pairing: ShikaIno

Summary: Shikamaru is hurt badly, but refuses to let Ino into the room to see him. At least, not under the current circumstances…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Walking through the threshold and shutting the door, Ino managed to make it to the dining room table before she collapsed onto one of the chairs. Her limbs shook from the physical exertion they'd had to endure, and all she could do was ride out the sensation until it subsided a few moments later.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to move properly for several more minutes, she grabbed the scroll Choji had given her at the hospital and sat it on the table in front of her. Getting a better look at it, she could now see that it was coded. Those types of scrolls were usually only used by the Intelligence units, or for deciphering messages from other villages, much like when Suna and other allies sent them confidential information. By the markings on the scroll, Ino knew that it was not an official request from Lady Tsunade, so that could only mean it was for personal use by someone with access to them.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she used her chakra to break the seal. As soon as she opened the scroll, words immediately began appearing on the originally blank paper. After waiting for the message to completely appear, she brought it closer to her. When she read the first sentence, there was no doubt in her mind who it was from.

"_To my troublesome Ino,_

_I'm sorry. Even though I'm writing this before you get here, I know that what I'm going to end up saying to you is going to upset or hurt you. I know things may not make sense right now, but they will in time. Until then, I need you to listen to me, and try to be patient._

_As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm writing this on a coded scroll. Given the circumstances, I didn't have a choice. Even in your exhaustion you're hard-headed, and this is the only way I can ensure that you don't do something reckless. _

_So I have something I need you to do, and just so you know, completing the task is the only way the rest of this letter will decode itself. In the oven, you'll find a plate of food. If my timing is correct, it should still be heated._

_Eat it._

_Come back to the scroll when you're finished."_

Ino looked up from the letter in obvious confusion. Shikamaru- who she knew to be seriously injured- went to the trouble of obtaining a scroll and writing her a message, just to tell her to eat something? She wasn't sure why he would do that when he could have just talked to her when she got to his room earlier. Feeling herself getting frustrated again, she closed her eyes for a few seconds and let out a low groan before opening them. Looking down at the message again, she skimmed over it once more before standing slowly. Her body was responding better now, but not well enough that she could ignore how sore she was. The mission she'd just gotten back from had been so intense that every single person in her squad had suffered at least one injury, including herself.

Making her way to the kitchen, she lightly brushed her hand against her thigh where a particularly nasty gash was and winced as even that small amount of contact caused irritation. In her haste to get to Shikamaru, she had all but forgotten about it. Now that she was calm, it was easier to feel every ounce of pain and fatigue.

She walked over to the oven and opened it. True to Shikamaru's word, there was a plate with a lid on the top shelf. The oven itself was still slightly warm, letting her know that the food was placed in there only recently. She suspected Choji had been the one to do it, since she was told that Shikamaru had been taken to the hospital two days before and had been on strict bed rest.

As she placed the plate on the counter and took the lid off, she felt her mouth begin to water as she gazed at the steamy meal. She hadn't eaten since the day before, and seeing the food in front of her was enough for her to realize just how hungry she was. She ate faster than she could ever remember eating, and by the time she was finished, she felt better than she had in days.

Deciding to leave the dirty dishes for later, she walked back over to the table and sat down in front of the scroll once again. She knew from experience that a majority of personal coded scrolls were decoded by recognition of the recipient's chakra. However, there were many different ways to specialize a coded scroll so that specific demands had to be met before the message was conveyed. Only a select few ninja knew how to manipulate the code to that degree, and Ino was not the least bit surprised that Konoha's genius strategist was one of them. She knew that she had to obey everything he said in one message before she would be allowed to read the next one. Judging from the specifics in the first message, she had no doubt that Shikamaru was purposefully trying to keep her away, and she was determined to figure out why.

Moving her hand to the bottom of the first message, she concentrated a small amount of chakra into her palm. Words began to appear just as they had when she'd originally opened the scroll, and she waited a few moments before reading the next part.

"_If you're reading this, then it means you were paying attention. You must be tired if you're willing to actually follow instructions coming from me."_

Ino huffed indignantly and she felt her face heat up.

"_And don't get offended. You know it's true."_

Ino scoffed at the side note, but otherwise chose to ignore it and continued reading.

"_Anyway, I'm glad you ate something. It was weighing heavily on my mind knowing that you probably haven't had a decent meal since you left for the mission._

_Now I have something else I'm asking you to do. Go upstairs and take a shower. And before you start, I already know what you're thinking…"_

"Shikamaru…" She growled as she read. Not that she hadn't already planned on taking one, but having her injured boyfriend- the one that refused to let her into his room- ask her to take a shower was extremely offensive, in her opinion.

"_I know what you're thinking, and just imagining the look on your face is giving me a headache. Tsk…troublesome._

_You just got back from a mission, so aside from eating the next logical step would be a shower. So when you're done, come back and read the rest._

_P.S._

_I love you. You don't smell. I'm saying this now because I don't want to get chewed out for it later. _

The message ended there, and Ino let out a loud exaggerated sigh and ran her fingers through her tangled, messy hair. Leave it to Shikamaru to anger her and compliment her at the same time. Deciding to quickly complete the task, she stood and walked up the stairs and into the bedroom they both shared. She grumbled to herself as she walked into the bathroom and undressed, and her ramblings didn't stop even as she started the shower and stepped under the spray of warm water.

She winced when the water ran over the cut on her hip and took a step back. She grabbed one of the small towels from the rack behind her and held it under the water before bringing it back and gently rinsing it over the injury, wincing occasionally. She could have healed it before she even got in the shower, but healing a cleaned cut was easier and more sanitary than healing one that wasn't. Considering her chakra was still dangerously low, she opted for whatever helped the most.

Finishing with that, she untied her hair and proceeded to wash it before doing the same to her body. She made quick work of the shower, not wanting to stay in there too long. Not only was she curious to read the next segment of the message so she could see Shikamaru, she also didn't want to get too comfortable. She already felt dead on her feet, and being under the spray of warm water and having the scent of vanilla shampoo wafting in the shower mist was enough to make her extremely drowsy.

She turned off the water after a few more minutes and immediately grabbed a towel to wrap around her injured side. After grabbing another towel to wrap around her body, she sat on the edge of the bathtub and began healing herself. It took longer than usual because of her fatigue, but she managed to heal the wound perfectly. The area was still slightly painful, but it was a dull ache that she could live with until it ceased completely.

She walked back into her bedroom and picked up a brush from her vanity while she made her way to the closet. As she brushed the tangles out of her hair with one hand, she fished through her clothes with the other. This was one of the few times where she truly wasn't concerned about her appearance. There was no need to be. She literally had one goal in mind, and that was to go to the hospital. Putting on makeup and searching for outfits was something that would only hinder her progress, and as far as she was concerned, she was going slowly enough thanks to Shikamaru and his stupid message scroll.

She finished with her hair and tossed the brush on the bed before dressing in a pair of black training pants and a deep purple turtleneck. It was a particularly cool day in the village and she knew her purple halter top and skirt probably weren't the best options. Putting her hair back in a ponytail, she left the bedroom to go back to the scroll.

Standing in front of it and repeating the chakra transfer again, she silently hoped that he was finished with the pointless tasks. She still didn't understand why he was asking her to do things for herself, especially when he was the one so badly injured, but the one thing she did know was that it did have a purpose. After all, she thought, Shikamaru never did anything unless he felt it important enough.

The message decoded faster than the last two, but the first two words written on the page caused her to do a double take.

"_Now sleep."_

"What?" She yelled aloud. She slammed her fists onto the table in frustration, no longer able to contain her feelings. She managed to look at the scroll again despite herself.

"_Calm down, Ino. I know you're pissed, and you're probably ready to storm out of the house and come back here. I'm asking you not to._

_You need to sleep. You just got back from a mission where I suspect you haven't gotten any decent amount of rest. I'm not asking you to sleep for any extended period of time; I'm just asking you to _sleep_ period._

_I promise that this is the last thing I'm asking you to do. Please just do it._

_Whenever you wake up, you can come straight to me. I promise. I'll be waiting for you until then, troublesome woman._

_Shikamaru_

Ino felt frustrated tears fill her eyes and brushed them away aggressively. Standing, she stormed back into her bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed. She laid her head on her pillow, not even bothering to bring the sheet and blanket to cover herself.

"Fine. Whatever! I don't care anymore!" She said to herself and wiped the last of her tears away.

She knew her behavior was that of a stubborn child, but she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge it or care. All she could concentrate on was the fact that the time she'd spent at home could have been spent at Shikamaru's side, taking care of him and doing her best to help him get better. That was the only logic in her mind that made any sense, especially after hearing just how injured he was.

Lady Tsunade, though brief, spared no detail as she explained to Ino that Shikamaru had been badly hurt on his way back from his mission. It was a classified S-ranked mission, so she had absolutely no information about it other than that it was a month long and that they returned two days ago. According to Tsunade, his squad was ambushed on the way back, and Shikamaru sustained such severe injuries that the medics had doubts on whether or not he would survive. Ino shut down when she heard that, and only vaguely heard Tsunade mention something about his vital organs being targeted before she managed to bow and hurried out of the office.

Aside from the anxiety of his condition, the guilt she felt at not being able to protect him overwhelmed every other emotion she had. Part of her knew there was nothing she could have done, even if she were in the village at the time, but that didn't stop the hurt she felt. She briefly wondered if he resented her at all, but shook the thought from her mind, instead blaming fatigue for her growing sense of insecurity. Deciding to concentrate on happy thoughts, she closed her eyes and felt the pull of sleep claim her.

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><p>Well, that was chapter 2! One more to go before this story if finished. Thank you all so much for the reviews so far. I really love getting them, so let me know what you think!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Message in a Scroll

Pairing: ShikaIno

Summary: Shikamaru is hurt badly, but refuses to let Ino into the room to see him. At least, not under the current circumstances…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

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><p>"She's asleep, Shikamaru." Choji said as he entered the shadow nin's room, closing the door behind him.<p>

Shikamaru moved to sit up, grimacing in pain all the while. Choji moved to help him, but he shook his head and continued painstakingly until he reached a comfortable position. Choji looked at him with worry clearly etched on his features for several seconds until Shikamaru's heavy breathing returned to normal.

"Did she sense you?" He asked finally, his voice slightly strained. He'd just gotten out of surgery, and it had required a breathing tube to be placed down his throat. It had been uncomfortable, but he had no complaints otherwise.

Choji walked over to the chair near the bed and sat down, grabbing the half-full bag of chips he had left there.

"Nope." He said as he took a handful of chips and piled them into his mouth. "I was surprised; I wasn't making much of an effort to hide myself, and even if I had been Ino still would have noticed any other time."

Shikamaru nodded his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. Hearing everything Choji said just reiterated how right Shikamaru had been to do what he had done, no matter how guilty he still felt for doing it. Besides, he had a strong feeling that Ino would understand once she got there, if not sooner. She would still be upset, but it was a small price to pay for taking care of her, which had been his one and only objective since he'd gotten back to the village.

He wasn't stupid; even though everyone refused to say it out loud, he knew he was hurt badly, and lucky to be alive. He'd gone unconscious as soon as the enemy ebbed those kunai into his body, and that was enough to let him know how close to death he was. When he'd awoken, he was on a stretcher being rushed to one of the surgery rooms. Through his hazy vision and hearing, he vaguely made out some of what the medics were saying, but the words "fatal" and "organs" were all he needed to understand what happened to him. He stopped listening after that, and instead concentrated on keeping himself conscious through the debilitating pain he was in. That only lasted a few seconds, however, and the next time he'd woken up, he was in the room he currently occupied.

That's when the reality of what he'd been through hit him like a ton of bricks…

"Shikamaru."

He looked up to see Choji standing in front of him, chip bag long forgotten on the chair the Akimichi once occupied. Realizing that he must have spaced out, he gave his best friend an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying, Choji?"

"I was just telling you not to worry." Choji turned to his left and glanced out the large window next to him. It was late afternoon, and the leaves danced across his vision as the wind swept them across the rooftops underneath them.

"Yeah, I know." Shikamaru too looked out, his eyes instead concentrating on the different hues the clouds took on as they contrasted against the setting sun. Under different circumstances, he would have enjoyed the view.

"Anyway," Choji walked back to the chair and picked up the bag of chips. "I've got to head out. We're having company over tonight, and mom wants the whole family home for it."

Shikamaru nodded. "Thanks again for everything, Choji. I really owe you."

Choji nodded his head and gave Shikamaru a wave before exiting the room. After hearing his footsteps disappear, Shikamaru sighed and leaned his head against the pillow, resisting the urge to hiss as his hospital gown accidently brushed against one of his slow healing wounds. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, he saw that it was almost 6 in the afternoon. Knowing that Ino would make her way over soon, he decided to try to get some sleep until the nurse came in to check on him for the last time that night.

...

...

...

When Ino finally opened her eyes, the sun had already set and the stars were shining brightly in the sky. She spent a few more seconds laying in bed, reveling in how comfortable she was and how refreshed she felt before sitting up. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, she was surprised to see that it was 8 at night. She hadn't meant to sleep as long as she had, but she couldn't bring herself to regret it as she stretched her arms over her head.

Standing and flicking on the light, she walked to the closet she and Shikamaru shared. After first pulling out a pink duffel bag, she began filling it with various items. Now that she wasn't dead on her feet and anxious, she finally understood why Shikamaru did what he had done. Everything from sending her away to having her fulfill "meaningless" tasks served a purpose that she was too tired and frustrated to pick up on before. Now that she was at full strength, she knew she would be of some help to him now.

When she filled the bag with everything she needed, she zipped it and hoisted it over her shoulder. Looking around once more, she turned the light out and headed through the living room into the dining room where the scroll still lay open atop the table. She grabbed it and, smirking haughtily, stuffed it roughly into a side pocket of the overnight bag. Regardless of everything good that came out of what he'd done, she still hadn't forgotten about his little "shower" comment. Smirking again and turning off the lights, she left for the hospital, thoughts of revenge fresh in her mind the whole way.

...

...

...

Shikamaru's eyes opened slowly when he felt a familiar chakra moving in his direction. He grimaced as he sat up, but the pain medicine his nurse had given him was enough that it wasn't nearly as painful as it had been earlier that afternoon. He silently thanked the medic as he maneuvered to close the window curtains in the room, feeling none of the usual pain the movement would have caused.

The person was right outside the room now, and he had just enough time to sit back before he saw Ino walk through and close the door.

"Hmph…" He smirked. "Couldn't knock, could you?"

She looked at him then, and he couldn't help but smile at the sight of her.

"What's the point of knocking? It's just _you_, after all." She replied in the same teasing tone and set the bag on the floor next to his bed.

He glanced at it before refocusing his attention on her.

"And here I thought that hospital visitors were supposed to be nice to patients." He didn't smile then, but his tone and the twitch of his mouth were clear signs that he was not serious.

Playing along, Ino wordlessly reached down and grabbed the scroll from the bag and precariously spread it across his lap.

"And here _I _thought that all men were smart enough not to insult their girlfriends by turning them away and then ordering them to take a shower…" She spoke slowly and with the tone of someone explaining a complicated concept to a small child.

"Oh, here we go…" He said dramatically under his breath.

She giggled before taking the scroll back and returning it to the pocket of the bag. Leaning back up, she sat on the edge of the bed and gently placed her hand on his knee. She opened her mouth to speak, but she became sidetracked when she glanced at the side table near his bed.

"You didn't eat." She said, bringing her attention back to his face. He shrugged.

"Wasn't hungry."

She moved from the bed to the tray of food on the table and brought it over to him. It wasn't the most appetizing meal she'd ever seen, but her involvement in the hospital gave her the sense to know that it didn't taste as bad as it looked.

"After basically ordering me to eat earlier, there's no way I'm going to just take that excuse."

"I didn't order you." He sighed. "Besides, that was different."

Ino picked up the chopsticks on the tray and moved some of the food around before putting it back on the table. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't force feed him. Besides, there were more important things on her mind at the moment. She would tackle the food later.

Shikamaru watched as she put the tray back and sat up a little straighter. She had gone silent, which was a clear sign to him that there was something important on her mind.

"Ino."

She looked up at his face before her eyes began wandering, surveying every inch of him. It was what she had been both anticipating and dreading since she heard about his accident, which was yet another reason why she pushed herself beyond her limits to get to him as quickly as she had earlier that day. Seeing him at that moment, with only a few bandages on his arms and torso and a few bruises littering his body, she felt a chill go down her spine.

Shikamaru watched as her body tensed and her eyes opened slightly wider. He knew what was going on, and he could almost see her thoughts flash across her eyes. Moving his left leg, he nudged her gently. Feeling the pressure on her hip, her eyes focused and she let out a shaky breath.

"Tell me." He said gently.

"It was so much worse than this earlier, wasn't it?" She asked, thinking back to the images she'd conjured up when she'd first heard Tsunade's recollection of his injuries. She raised one of her hands to his chest, gently tracing the bandages that were visible underneath the thin hospital gown. Her eyes met his as her hand moved to what she sensed were the more serious injuries on his stomach, making sure her fingers merely ghosted over his skin so as not to cause any discomfort.

"Yes." He answered simply and stared back at her, allowing himself to enjoy her touch.

Feeling his muscles relax under her fingertips, she trailed her hand down the length of his arm to his hand and held it in hers. For the first time that day, and possibly the first time since he'd left, she felt a calmness wash over her. It was the feeling she always got any time he was near her, especially after one of them came home from a mission. It was the knowledge that he was with her, and that she could touch him, and hold him, and talk to him, and just know that he was _there_.

"I was…afraid." She confessed, her focus remaining on their entwined hands. Saying she was afraid was an understatement. There were no words that could possibly come close to how she felt. It was a dread worse than anything she'd ever experienced, and more painful than any physical blow she'd ever been dealt.

"I didn't want you to be." He replied, using his unoccupied hand to lift her chin up so he could look into her eyes. He averted his attention briefly from her to the scroll, remembering everything that went through his mind over the last 2 days. He remembered how disoriented he felt when he'd finally woken up from surgery, and how that feeling was quickly replaced with barely contained worry after he realized that that day's date was when she was supposed to return to the village. From that moment on, he concentrated on writing and coding the scroll quickly, knowing he wouldn't have the heart to give it to her if she got there before he finished it. He knew it was cruel to turn her away, but it was the only way he knew to take care of her.

And even though it hurt to tell her all of that in a barely personalized message, he knew she would understand. In the end, she would understand that everything he did, he did so that she would be alright. There was no possible way for him to get better if she wasn't.

Moving closer to him, Ino wrapped her arms tenderly around his waist and lay her head against his shoulder gently, being careful not to hurt him. Her hair caressed the side of his face as she tightened her grip around him, and she smiled when she felt him lay his head on top of hers and return the embrace.

"I understand." She said in a voice a little louder than a whisper. She looked at him then, and the look in his eyes- the relief she saw- made her smile. "I love you, Shika." She said just as softly as before, ghosting the words over his lips before giving him a gentle kiss.

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too, woman." He said, content with having her with him.

"You'd better." Smirking, she reached back over and picked up the food tray, making sure to pass it slowly across his nose before sitting it in his lap. "Now, on to business…"

"Ino, I'm not eating that."

"I figured you'd say that." Her voice held a knowing tone as she turned to pick up the bag she'd brought with her and put it on the bed. Standing, she grabbed the tray from his lap. "Being the amazing girlfriend that I am, I packed a few things for you from home, including your precious shogi board."

He looked surprised for a second and glanced at the bag, realization dawning on him as he smirked. Of course she would bring the shogi game. If anything else, she would use it as her trump card.

"I'm going to go heat this up for you, and you are going to eat every bite of it. Then when you're done, you can play all the shogi you want. I might even let you teach me."

"I've already taught you. Ten times." His tone was smug and teasing. "You are beyond help."

"Keep it up and I'll take it back home, Shikamaru!" Her face flushed as she sputtered out the response, effectively wiping the grin off his face.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just go heat the food already." He grumbled. Knowing Ino, she would make good on her threat, and that would just make his remaining time at the hospital that much longer. Having had nothing to do for the past 2 days was driving him crazy. He wanted that shogi board.

"Glad you see things my way. At this rate, you'll be better in no time!" Moving closer to him, she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek before walking toward the door. "See? Aren't you glad I'm here to take care of you?" Her voice echoed down the hall, and Shikamaru rolled his eyes and laid his head back, staring at the ceiling. After he was sure she was out of earshot, he turned to look at the scroll and smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

* * *

><p>Yay! I finally finished it! Thanks to everyone who took the time to readfavorite/review this story. You are all awesome!


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